


Reality check

by HarrowingHeckler



Series: Keeping things REAL [1]
Category: Camp Camp (Web Series)
Genre: Angst, Anxiety, Child Abuse, David Acting as Max's Parental Figure | Dadvid (Camp Camp), Depression, Dreams and Nightmares, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Mental Breakdown, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Physical Abuse, dadvid
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-08
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-14 22:49:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,826
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29924019
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HarrowingHeckler/pseuds/HarrowingHeckler
Summary: Now that camp is over, Max is thrown back into reality of what the real world is actually like. A world where people get high and beat the shit out of their kids for no reason. A reality that Camp Campbell seemed to ignore for the sake of "fun".A fanfiction based on real life events.
Series: Keeping things REAL [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2200632
Kudos: 15





	Reality check

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fanfiction! I've been reading a bunch of 'Camp Camp' fanfiction over the years and decided to finally have a go at it. I noticed with all the fanfictions based on Max's abuse wasn't really "accurate" per say, at least in my experience. I wanted to write a fanfiction that was as close to reality as possible so that people are aware of how hard it actually is to get out of abusive situations, so I decided to base mine off of my experiences. What I went through and how long it took. How stupid authorities are and how delicate these situations can get. 
> 
> This will be a long fic. I'm not sure if I'll split it up into parts so that there's multiple different works, but I'll figure it out as the time comes. I'll try to post at least once a week but it's not guaranteed. This first chapter is a little short, but I wasn't even sure if people would be interested. At the end of each chapter, I'll explain in the end notes what inspired that specific chapter.

Max sat on the bus, rustling through his bag for what felt like the hundredth time to make sure he didn’t forget anything. He knew by now that he did have everything, but fear crept in that maybe he took something out the last time he checked. Content that everything was in fact still there, he zipped up his bag, placed it on his lap, and propped himself on top of it. He looked out the window with his head in his hands as he watched everything turn into a blur, something occasionally catching his eye for a few seconds before he lost focus again.

He found himself deep in thought for what he would do when he got home. Camp was...fun, and all...but time to get back into reality. He knew his dad would check his bag right when he got home, so he made sure his phone and Mr. Honeynuts weren’t inside. Without him being around to be his dad’s punching-bag for the entire summer, he knew he would have pent-up anger just for him. It made his heart rate faster, shuddering at the thought and dwelling on it for a while.

He thought how he would sneak Mr. Honeynuts past his dad. His phone was easy, he could just stick that in his underwear and hope his dad had enough dignity to not check there, but Mr. Honeynuts? He thought about stuffing him under his sweater but knew his dad wouldn’t be that dumb. Max was a skinny kid. Even if his dad didn’t notice it was the bear, he would _definitely_ notice the ‘weight’ he had put on over the summer.

He didn’t get far with his thoughts when he felt gravity pulling him forward.

_Shit_

He looked towards the front of the bus to see that its passengers were starting to gather their things. This was the last stop, so he had to get off. No more stalling. He suppressed a shudder as he swung his bag over his shoulder and got up, following the strangers off the bus. The driver was wishing them all a good evening, but Max didn’t even dare as so much glance over in his direction.

The moment he stepped off the bus is when he started to feel the growing panic. Bile started to build up in his throat, but he forcefully composed himself the best he could and started walking.

Once he was only a few blocks away from ‘home’, he found a rather large bush and got an idea. He would leave Mr. Honeynuts underneath it until his dad left to get drunk or something. Then, he would get out of the house and retrieve the plushie. He just hoped that in the meantime, it didn’t rain, or some animal got to it. He would have to figure out how to discretely clean him if that happened. He couldn’t ask his father to clean him since he would probably use him as leverage, rip him up, or ‘lose’ him. None of those sounded particularly pleasing to Max.

That’s something he would have to figure out in the future IF that happened. Right now, he needed to focus on what was about to happen, mentally preparing himself for the unknown.

His pace became a little slower as his house came into view. The grass that practically swallowed him whole was still uncut. The front window was still broken and patched up with a molding piece of cardboard. Seeing the cream colored, rusted 1998 Toyota Camry sitting in the driveway confirmed that his dad was home.

He decided it was best to enter the house through the back since the door made less noise. The side gate was tied shut by a single chain that prevented anyone from ever opening it. He wondered what the point of it was since the weeds embedding themselves into the wood made it impossible to move in the first place. He threw his bag over the gate and pulled himself up. Being at camp for so long softened the calluses on his hands. He could feel the wood digging into his palms, splinters threatening to break the skin. He didn’t falter though, as he successfully hoisted himself over the fence and to the ground on the other side.

Once his feet made contact with the ground, he quickly shook the pain away from his hands. _Fuck that hurt!_ He readjusted his phone in his underwear to make it more secure, then picked up his bag and headed toward the back door.

He made sure to avoid any leaves or twigs and only stepped on the grass that wasn’t too dead. He wanted to make as little noise as possible in hopes that maybe he could delay his encounter with his father.

The backyard was as messy as he remembered, messier if that was even possible. Half of the fence was broken and falling apart, the planks of wood scattering the yard. He couldn’t imagine entering the yard without any shoes on since there were probably hundreds of nails hidden underneath the grass. The washer and dryer hidden behind the bushes were still not being used. In fact, he couldn’t remember when they ever were.

Before he knew it, he was in front of sliding glass door. He peered inside to see the lights off. Despite the sun starting to duck underneath the trees, it was glaring on the glass making it difficult to see inside. He wasn’t about to make himself look stupid if his dad was staring at him from the inside.

He took his shoes off and placed them next to the door. Slowly, he grabbed the handle and pulled the door open.

Despite the action being done with so much caution, the door still squeaked on its wheels, causing Max to cringe inwardly. He was praying to whatever deity there was out there that the noise went unnoticed by the old man inside.

He sighed in relief when he was met with no one there. Slipping inside, he closed the door shut until an audible ‘click’ sounded. He praised himself a little that he managed to close the door without making a sound. Steeling himself for the inevitable, he turned around and started to head towards his room.

Despite long preparing himself mentally for the incoming interaction, he felt the heartbeat against his chest growing harder with every step. His mind slowly became panicked as his vision became wavy. He felt his head throbbing as he made a beeline for his room. He was so close, just a few more steps. Once he was inside, he could try to calm his nerves again. He would feel at least a _little_ sense of ‘relief’. All he must do now is open his door and he would be inside. He was going to be okay. He had to be okay.

Lifting his hand, he gripped the doorknob of his door and turned it slowly. The latch easily let up to allow him to push the door inwards. He quickly threw himself inside and made sure to try step over the spot in the floor that creaked just in the entrance of his room as he shut the door behind him.

He kept his hand on the door afterwards, staring at the darkness coming in from underneath. Listening for footsteps that never came, and slowly slid his bag off his back and onto the floor. He sat on the ground next to his bed, still staring at the door. He took a few deep, silent breaths trying to calm down. He was a little pissed at himself for freaking out so much.

He didn’t see his dad. Didn’t even hear him. _Was he even home? His car was in the driveway so he must be, right?_

He didn’t want to check. He was tired of traveling all day and wanted to rest. He grabbed the flat pillow from off his bed and threw it under. Looking up one last time to look at the door, catching a glimpse of a cage that sat on top of his dresser. Frankly, he was surprised it was still there. He thought his dad would have gotten rid of it while he was at camp.

He stood up to look inside and smiled a little when he saw the tiny brown and white mouse inside. That smile quickly disappeared as he noticed the water bottle empty, the food bowl flipped over, and the cage was filled with feces. He felt bad for the poor thing as he quickly jumped into action.

Taking the mouse out, he placed it on top of his bed and got to work. He wanted to do this quickly in case his dad came in, so he didn’t clean the cage to the fullest. He just unlatched the water bottle, took the bowl out, and opened his window. He threw all the cage’s contents out and placed the cage back on top of his dresser. He placed some bedding along the bottom, trying not to make too much noise with the bag.

Once that was done, he grabbed the container of food and filled up the bowl. Then he opened the bag he left by his door and took out a water bottle of his own. He opened it up and poured it into the other and clipped it back onto the cage.

The cage didn’t smell great. Poop stains were still visible on the sides and he had nothing to mask the odor with. He would have to clean it later when he knew his dad wasn’t home.

He wondered how long the mouse went without food and water. By the condition of its cage, he wouldn’t be surprised if it wasn't cleaned at all while he was at camp. At least it appeared his dad _tried(?)_ to give it sustenance.

Putting the mouse back in its cage, he watched the little thing drink non-stop from the water bottle. He stayed there about a minute before he decided it was best to get some rest. Saying goodnight to his little mousy friend, he slipped under his bed to the furthest he could go.

He took his phone out of his underpants and looked for the hole in his mattress. He knew from experience that hiding stuff under his mattress didn’t stay hidden for long. Instead, he ripped a hole on the bottom and hid stuff inside his mattress. It seemed to work so far anyway.

When he laid down and tried to sleep, he couldn’t quiet his mind. To many thoughts of what might happen if his dad realized he was there. _Would he realize he was there while he was asleep? He would be unprepared for the man. Would he even be able to defend himself in time?_

He didn’t get much rest that night as he listened to the mouse clicking its water bottle.

**Author's Note:**

> -When I was younger, a car was usually in the driveway so it was hard to tell if my parents were home or not when I woke up. I wasn't allowed in their room and the door was always closed. I say 'parents' because at the time, my dad was there. My mom was the abusive one.  
> -I would always tip-toe through the house and actually did it so much, that the muscles in my legs didn't develop properly. I always had socks on to ensure that my feet wouldn't stick to the ground either.  
> -Just recently, actually, did I find a hole under my mattress. At first I was scared that if I put my 3DS in it, that the springs would put pressure on it and break it. I later learned that if I just put it between the bars holding the springs, it wouldn't be mushed.  
> -Yes, I do still live with my mom. I'm now 17 and will be about to get out of here in 6 months. I've been trying to get out of here since I was about Max's age when my mom and dad divorced.


End file.
